A Taste of Ireland at Home

Growing up, March was always a special food month in my parent’s house. It was the time of year Mom always made the dreaded Irish Soda Bread (still not a fan), when Dad would take out one celebratory Guiness out from the basement, and Mom brought out the big silver pot to make corned beef and cabbage. This was a staple come March 17th. And there were several years I can remember that we made two pots in the same week. We’re just big fans- no shame!

One of my mom’s hobbies has been geneology for as long as I can remember. She has always been fascinated with our family’s history and how we came to be where we are. She’s been pretty successful too, tracing our family back to before 1800. As a result of this hobby, one of our most memorable vacations was a 2-week driving tour of Southern Ireland. We made the obligatory stops, but I think Mom was just as interested in photographing the field we used to live in as she was the Waterford Crystal factory. Even though this was many years ago, I still fondly remember that freezing June trip (we honestly wore sweaters every day). It’s the same reason that even though I can’t find corned beef at my grocery store (so my mom drove me some here) that I make corned beef and cabbage now. Family tradition and memory stays with you- no matter how from home you are.

Mom always makes hers on the stove. But, I make mine in the slow cooker. It honestly doesn’t make a difference- they are both delicious!

Mom’s Classic Corned Beef and Cabbage

Ingredients:

1 3-4lb corned beef

Baby red potatoes (whole, halved, or quarted depending on how big they are)

A handful or two of carrots (I use the pre-portioned bags and just dump in whatever amount I feel)

1-2 onions, quartered

Water

Seasioning packet inside the corned beef

1 small head of cabbage, quartered or eighthed, with the core removed

Steps:

Add the onions, carrots, and potatoes to the slow cooker

Cover with water

Lay the corned beef on top of that, sprinkle the seasoning packet and add another 3/4-1 cup of water.

Cover and cook on HIGH for 7 hours

At this point, add your cabbage, cover and cook on HIGH an additional hour